Calling All Families! Come Out and Play this Summer with Coca-Cola and The National Parks

/PRNewswire/ -- Remember the old refrain, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?" Who wants to be dull? Coca-Cola, the National Park Foundation and renowned medical/diet expert Dr. Ian Smith want you to add a little fun into your life by making playdates in the parks for you and your family this summer. The "America Is Your Park" campaign launches today to encourage millions of Americans to be active outdoors and to cast a vote for their favorite park to win a $100,000 recreation grant made possible by Coca-Cola's Live Positively initiative.

"We understand that more families are looking for ways to have fun and be active together, but might lack the resources or an outside space to do so," said Katie J. Bayne, President and General Manager, Sparkling Beverages, Coca-Cola North America. "Coca-Cola has supported America's national parks for the past 40 years through campaigns like this because of our belief that everyone needs a place to play and spend time with family and friends."

Through online engagement and community grants, Coca-Cola is donating more than $500,000 to national, state and local parks across the country to restore or rebuild places for people of all ages to play. The campaign also encourages people to support the national and state parks system by voting for their favorite park on LivePositively.com through August 31, 2010 or coming out to local park health and wellness events that Coca-Cola will host this summer - all with the goal of making their communities a better place to live.

"Being physically active and maintaining a balanced diet should be a very important part of every family's health plan," said Dr. Ian Smith, medical/diet expert on VH1's highly rated "Celebrity Fit Club" and creator and founder of The 50 Million Pound Challenge. "National parks have been part of the American family experience for years, and playing in the park is a simple way for people to lead healthier and more balanced lives."

Through the support of individual parks and the partnership with the National Park Foundation, Coca-Cola has donated more than $13 million for restoration and renovation of our country's parks, including the restoration of more than 260 miles of "Active Trails" for families to hike and explore, and is developing the first sustainable recycling program at The National Mall, a national park in the heart of the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C.

"The rewards of our long-standing partnership with Coca-Cola lie in hundreds of miles of restored hiking trails, renovated landmarks and millions of dollars in renovated park facilities provided throughout the years," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO, National Park Foundation. "The positive impact of 'America Is Your Park' and similar campaigns will be felt for years to come by families who will have improved facilities to be active and have fun outdoors."

About the "America Is Your Park" Campaign

Every day should be a day in the park this summer. That's why Coca-Cola will be giving away fun prizes as well as annual passes and family vacations to America's 392 parks through programs on MyCokeRewards and the Summer Snapshot Contest on the Coke Facebook page. Consumers are also encouraged to visit MyCoke.com to upload their laugh to the Smile-izer. For every laugh submitted, a dollar will be donated to the National Park Foundation, up to $50,000.

What's more, from July 29 to August 31, people can go to LivePositively.com to cast a vote for their favorite park to win the title of "America's Favorite Park" and a $100,000 grant from Coca-Cola for new activity equipment such as bikes and kayaks, or for the restoration and construction of activity areas. Additionally, Coca-Cola will work with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) to host WNBA FIT Clinics at parks in select cities across the country, as part of a new multiyear marketing partnership agreement. To learn more about Coca-Cola's efforts in our nation's parks and to vote for your favorite park, visit www.livepositively.com.

About the National Park Foundation

You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -- all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us - This is Your Land. www.nationalparks.org.

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National Park Foundation Announces Half A Million Dollars in Grants to Connect Underserved Audiences to National Parks

/PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by the forthcoming Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, the National Park Foundation (NPF) has established a new grant program to connect underserved audiences, primarily people of color, to the national parks. NPF, in partnership with the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, has awarded "America's Best Idea Grants" totaling $500,000, to 35 national parks across the country to develop outreach strategies and engagement programs for people who are traditionally underrepresented in their local national parks.

"The point of America's Best Idea - both the documentary and the grants program - is that the country is strengthened by the deep and lasting bond between people and their parks," said Neil Mulholland, president of the National Park Foundation. "Ken Burns has captured the amazing personal stories of men and women from all walks of life who helped form the parks because of their love for the natural and historical treasures they hold. We want to be sure to continue capturing those stories and building that legacy among audiences as diverse as the parks themselves."

"Universal access to the parks and engagement of diverse and underserved populations are important goals in the evolution of our national parks," said Ira Hirschfield, President of the Haas, Jr. Fund. "It is our great hope that America's Best Idea will provide people in cities and towns across the country the chance to find meaning and inspiration in the story of the parks, and a chance to make these cherished places their own."

The parks receiving grants range in location and size from Salem Maritime National Historic Park in Massachusetts, to Denali National Park in Alaska, to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, and beyond.

Several of the programs, like the one in Bandelier National Monument, include targeted outreach to indigenous people - bringing native people back into the parks they inhabited initially. The projects are wide-ranging in scope and appeal, including sailing camps, wildlife education, contests and hikes with park historians. For information about the initial projects funded through this program, visit http://www.nationalparks.org/americas-best-idea/

Additional funding for the program was provided by the National Park Foundation and Popplestone Foundation.

The National Park Foundation is proud to be a core partner and funder of the new Ken Burns documentary series, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. The film chronicles a century of giving that created national parks from southern Florida to the frozen tundra of Alaska, from the rocky coast of Maine to the volcanic Hawaiian islands.

Premiering September 27th on PBS, the 12-hour, six-part documentary series traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Told through the stories of the people who helped create them and save them from destruction, it is both a biography of compelling characters and of the American landscape.

About the National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by Congress in 1967 to continue a century-long tradition of private philanthropy ensuring funding to preserve and enhance the legacy of our National Parks. As the official non-profit partner of America's National Parks, the National Park Foundation does not receive federal appropriations for their support. The National Park Foundation serves to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness. Support of the National Park Foundation ensures that the evolving history and rich heritage of our Nation remains vital and relevant. Learn more at NPF's website, www.nationalparks.org

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